Language Teaching Research and Language Pedagogy

This book examines current research centered on the second language classroom and the implications of this research for both the teaching and learning of foreign languages. It offers illuminating insights into the important relationship between research and teaching, and the inherent complexities of the teaching and learning of foreign languages in classroom settings.

• Offers an accessible overview of a range of research on instruction and learning in the L2 classroom
• Bridges the relationship between research, teachers, and learners
• Helps evolve the practice of dedicated current language teachers with research findings that suggest best practices for language teaching

List of Figures vi

List of Tables vii

Preface ix

Acknowledgements xiii

1 Introduction: Developments in Language Teaching Research 1

2 Methods for Researching the Second Language Classroom 21

3 Comparative Method Studies 51

4 Second Language Classroom Discourse 75

5 Focus on the Teacher 115

6 Focus on the Learner 151

7 Investigating the Performance of Tasks 195

8 Interaction and L2 Learning in the Classroom 237

9 Form-Focused Instruction and Second Language Learning 271

10 Instruction, Individual Differences and L2 Learning 307

11 Conclusion: Research and Language Teaching 337

References 349

Index 385

Rod Ellis is currently Professor in the Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics, University of Auckland, where he teaches postgraduate courses on second language acquisition, individual differences in language learning and task-based teaching.  His books include Understanding Second Language Acquisition (winner of the BAAL Prize, 1986), The Study of Second Language Acquisition (winner of the Duke of Edinburgh prize, 1995), Task-Based Learning and Teaching (2003), and Analyzing Learner Language (with Gary Barkhuizen, 2005).